$4-a-gallon gas spreads to three upstate New York cities; Syracuse getting close

Three Upstate cities are now averaging $4 for a gallon of gasoline. Syracuse is getting close.

Syracuse, NY -- Drivers in and around three upstate New York cities now are paying more than $4 a gallon on average for regular gasoline and those in three others, including Syracuse, are drawing close.

Motorists in the Utica-Rome metropolitan area this morning are paying the top average pump price, $4.018 a gallon, among the six upstate metro areas tracked in the AAA motor club's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

Buffalo-Niagara Falls was second highest at $4.015 a gallon and Binghamton was third at $4.010 a gallon.

Rochester drivers continued to pay the lowest average pump price at $3.972 a gallon, according to AAA. Syracuse was second-lowest $3.976 a gallon. Albany-Schenectady-Troy motorists are paying $3.986 a gallon.

Downstate drivers continued paying the top average prices -- $4.114 a gallon in New York City, $4.072 a gallon in Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to the AAA survey.

This morning's averages represented increases of a fraction of a penny from Wednesday and boosts from a week ago ranging from 2.3 cents a gallon around Buffalo to 4.5 cents a gallon around Binghamton. Syracuse motorist saw regular rise 2.8 cents from last Thursday.

The national average pump price of regular is $3.881 a gallon this morning, according to AAA. That's up 6 cents from a week ago.

Statewide, the average pump price for regular was $4.038 this morning, up from $4.031 cents from Wednesday and $4.001 a week ago, AAA said.

Drivers in six states and the District of Columbia are paying more than New York's average. Those in Hawaii are paying the highest tab, $4.501 a gallon. California is second-highest at $4.345, AAA said.